Governments task procurement officers to lead the way in EV charging infrastructure

Government buyers are showing a lot of interest in acquiring electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure, reports CoProcure, the free search engine for national, state and local cooperative contracts. On CoProcure, there are 13 active cooperative contracts available encompassing more than 70 suppliers that can provide EV infrastructure to government entities across the U.S. Views of EV infrastructure contracts on the search engine have increased an average of more than 90 percent quarter-over-quarter over the past year since January 2021.

“While the number of users on CoProcure and the number of contract records available on our platform have also increased during this time frame, they have not increased at the same rate. More and more government procurement professionals are using CoProcure to search for cooperative contracts, including for EV infrastructure,” says Mariel Reed, CEO and co-founder of CoProcure.

Government officials are showing more interest in installing EV charging equipment, says Brent Mital, research analyst at Deltek. He specializes in transportation and public utilities for Deltek’s state, local and education (SLED) GovWin IQ research team. The GovWin IQ market intelligence platform helps businesses win more contracts with U.S. federal, state and local governments, as well as Canadian governments.

“GovWin IQ data shows that since 2018, we have seen procurement for EV infrastructure grow on average 28 percent, and more specifically, it was up 12 percent from 2020 to 2021. This pace signifies an upward trajectory in contracting activity at the SLED level,” Mital explains.

Mital says there’s not enough data that shows any specific city, county or special district government is leading the charge in procurement and installation of EV charging stations and infrastructure.

He adds, however, that data at the state level shows several trends. “California, New York and Maine all have led the 50 states in procurement for the EV charging/infrastructure market. California alone accounted for 23 percent of total bids since 2018, New York with 11 percent and Maine with 10 percent. California is no surprise given their history and push for green initiatives, Maine is a bit more surprising, since it is one of the smaller states in the country yet stands in the top three.”

Mital says it is noteworthy that significant portions of these projects are for installing in prebuilt parking locations or being installed as part of new parking construction projects.

“There is not a noticeable initiative to install EV infrastructure for government-related fleet needs as the procurement market for EVs at the government level may not warrant such an acquisition across the country at this time,” he says. “This would likely change as more vehicle types (trucks, SUVs) and more affordable EV options become available in the market for SLED governments to purchase.” He adds that private-sector EV charging installations outnumber what his group currently sees at the SLED level.

Local government leaders see the importance of EVs in safeguarding the environment. More than half of the mayors in a November 2021 U.S. Conference of Mayors survey identified all-electric vehicles as the “most promising technology” for reducing carbon emissions and energy use in their communities. A total of 103 U.S. mayors in the survey were asked to select the most promising technologies from a list of 20 options; survey results show 55 percent of the mayors identified all-electric vehicles.

The White House is getting involved in streamlining and improving the nation’s EV charging setup. In its “Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan” statement that was issued in December 2021, the administration noted: “The current network of over 100,000 public chargers operates with different plug types, payment options, data availability and hardware hookups. Today’s actions will establish a more uniform approach, provide greater convenience for customers, and offer increased confidence for industry.” The statement explained that federal programs from the administration “will spur additional private sector investments and drive the build-out of a user-friendly, cost-effective and financially sustainable national EV charging network.”

Government buyers have an abundance of cooperative purchasing opportunities to choose from. The most notable effort may be the Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative that was launched in 2018. The collaborative includes state and local governments, colleges and universities, transit agencies and other entities. The collaborative is a one-stop shop to support EV transitions for public fleets. Governments and other entities can acquire light-duty EVs, school buses, medium- and heavy-duty chassis and equipment and charging station solutions. Today, the collaborative includes more than 250 cities, counties, transit agencies, port authorities, and colleges and universities committed to purchasing more than 4,000 EVs (“Electric Slide,” Government Procurement, March 2021).

Additional cooperative contract options include:

Supply and demand

For local and state governments that are thinking of acquiring EV charging stations, Domin advises them to consult with the suppliers themselves. “They will provide those agencies with the information they need. They will work with the agencies on finding out what their needs are. Whether it is one or 10 charging stations, how the installation will go—the suppliers will be the experts on that. So, my advice is to reach out to the suppliers. And develop and get things together on the agency’s side on what they are looking for and what kinds of fleet equipment for EVs that they might need. That will help the suppliers understand and start the project.”

Domin says that eventually, electrical contractors will need to be involved in the process. The reason? “They (the electrical contractors) are going to be part of that installation. So, these are the questions you are going to see as those government fleet managers reach out and say, ‘How do we do this? How do we put this project together? How do we put together a charging system so it meets our needs?’ Furthermore, it’s a project, it’s not just the EV charging station itself; the project covers the overall installation.”

On the EV charging gear front, things aren’t as gloomy as they seem, says Adam Lubinsky, managing principal at W X Y, an architecture and design firm. “Most municipalities across the U.S. are so far behind in requiring EV charging infrastructure. But rather than focusing on how bad the situation is, we must highlight that there are places that are coming up with zoning regulations that are changing this situation.”

Lubinsky says the most important approach is taking place in cities where requirements are put in place for a percentage of spaces to have EV charging spaces. He says that the second most important approach is to require a percentage of spaces to be “EV-ready,” with the electrical infrastructure installed and ready for EV charging stations. He urges local governments to search and apply for incentives that encourage the installation of EV charging stations. He adds that governments are often challenged to require and incentivize EV charging infrastructure in new developments.

Another expert who urges governments to track down funding sources is Chris Rhie, an urban planner and associate principal at Buro Happold, based in its Los Angeles office. The firm is a multidisciplinary engineering consultancy, and a global practice of consulting engineers and advisers that offers its clients expertise in structural engineering, sustainability, lighting design, mobility and other areas.

Rhie explains that there are several private companies (including vehicle manufacturers) who will pay for the cost of installation of publicly accessible EV charging infrastructure on city property and right-of-way, in the interest of expanding their networks. He adds that public-private partnerships will be essential to meet the desired pace of adoption. He says local and state officials will need to set the rules for those partnerships to maximize public benefit.

Rhie says that at the planning level, mobility equity is top of mind for many local government officials. He asks: “How can investments in EV infrastructure enhance access to jobs, education, and services for low-income households; how can they redress poor air quality in impacted communities; and how can they support broader goals of safety and access via active transportation and public transit?”

Michael Keating is senior editor for American City & County. Contact him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared in the Q1 2022 issue of Government Procurement.